Sportsline

This could set up to be one of the slowest and most physical matches of the tournament...

Back the team that did not concede during qualification...

Curaçao lost 7-1 to Germany at the weekend. ...

Türkiye has enough firepower to exploit Paraguay's defensive weaknesses. ...

Morocco should be far too strong for Scotland. ...

The USA will benefit from home advantage in Seattle. ...

South Africa will be missing two key players for this crucial game. ...

Fade Conor McGregor after a 5-year layoff?...

Ghana is without a key player vs. Panama? ...

One of these teams is winless in their last 7...

Croatia are no longer in their prime. ...

Croatia's key players are well past their best. ...

Portugal looks vastly superior to DR Congo. ...

Drew Rasmussen carries a 0.88 WHIP into Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium. Over his last two outings, Rasmussen has thrown 14 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk with 22 strikeouts. He's also had success against current Dodgers' batters (.590 OPS in 47 at-bats). Rasmussen gives Tampa Bay an edge in the early going against Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski. The 25-year-old lefty is a regression candidate, toting an expected ERA of 4.19 compared to his actual 2.94 ERA. Both bullpens have been shaky in June so we'll isolate the first five.

The Athletics had strong success at the plate in their two series in Vegas, where they averaged 7.5 runs. In yesterday’s return game in Sacramento they kept the hot hitting going with eleven runs. We know coming in tonight that Jack Perkins is likely going to give up 3 to 4 runs, but with the way the Athletics are hitting I would not be surprised for one half inning of run production to put them right back in the game. Take the Athletics.

Reid Detmers has given up 0-2 earned runs in five of his last seven starts, and allowed just two hits in 13 innings thrown in June so far. That was vs. the Dodgers and Astros. The Arizona offense isn’t hitting well, notably vs. left-handers. The Angels have an OPS of about .750 in June both on the road and vs. RHP. Merrill Kelly has been dreadful at home (7.66 ERA).

Algeria is not a bad team by any means as they made a pretty solid run in last years AFCON tournament. That being said, come on, this is Argentina. Argentina are the reigning 2022 World Cup champions, and have the vast majority of the same squad that made them so good, while adding new talent like Nico Paz from Como. I'm banking on Argentina to handle the over on this game, and I believe they are more than capable of scoring three goals by themselves against an Algeria backline that will be overwhelmed for 90 minutes.

Before you bet on this match understand that there is a world where Lionel Messi doesn't playin in this match. Even if he does not play, I'm still betting Argentina to win this match in convincing fashion. Yes, Messi is a big deal, but this team has a wildly good attack even if he decides to sit this match out. Look for players like Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, and Nico Paz to find the back of the net multiple times, as Argentina look to not repeat their first match of the group stage incident of the 2022 World Cup.

Edward Cabrera led MLB in stolen bases allowed last year with 35, and he's surrendered 10 stolen bags through 12 starts so far. While Miguel Amaya is the Cubs best throwing option at catcher, I'm still taking a shot on some stolen base bets. Cole Carrigg has yet to steal a base since he came up to MLB level a week ago, but he's in the 96th percentile for sprint speed, and he was a stolen base demon in the minors. He racked up 51 stolen bases in A ball a couple years back, then 46 at AA, and had already stole 30 bases in 57 AAA games this year before his call up. 0.10u on 2+ Stolen Bases (+3100).

The Cubs are 3 for 31 with runners in scoring position over their past four games, but at least they're generating traffic on the basepaths. That should continue Tuesday vs. Rockies starter Ryan Feltner. Last Thursday in Colorado, the Cubs pounded Felter for six earned runs in 4.1 innings of a 9-3 win. Feltner enters with a 7.71 road ERA. Back the hosts on the run line at plus money.

The Rangers are hitting right-handers at a putrid .573 OPS clip the last two weeks. But here they’re home, where the bats have been livelier, and against Zebby Matthews, who is 0-3 with 9.37 ERA on the road, plus a Twins bullpen that owns a 6.66 ERA the last 15 days. Kumar Rocker has allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts for Texas, and the pen (2.98 June ERA) can finish.

This is strictly a fade of Zebby Matthews, who is 0-3 with a 9.37 road ERA for Minnesota this season. On the other side, even though he possesses a 1-4 home record, Kumar Record has an ERA of 3.02 at Globe Life Field. After losing Monday's night's contest, I'll back the Rangers to even the series. And as a bonus pick, how about a sprinkle on Joc Pederson to take Matthews deep at +370 odds?

In yesterday’s 3-0 win over the Padres, Masyn Winn had a multi-hit game. That marks his second consecutive home game he has done so, and third over his last five home games. Michael King has given up six home runs over his last four starts, and also four runs or more in three of his last four outings. Take Winn over on his combination line.

Certainly not close to my favorite Brewers pitcher in Robert Gasser (0-3, 6.38 ERA), but his home splits are fairly better and the Brew Crew have a fully rested excellent bullpen behind him. This is mainly fading the Guardians now without All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez for the foreseeable future. He was placed on the injured list Sunday and might miss eight weeks. Crushing news for the team -- but helps the White Sox in the Central! Tuesday starter Slade Cecconi has a 5.21 road ERA.

Mets Team Total over 4.5 (-140) on ScoreBet/Caesars is a 0.5u play for me tonight, projecting over six runs and facing Brady Singer plus a rough Cincinnati bullpen. They rank as the fourth worst bullpen for ERA in all of baseball, and we get some solid hitting weather in The Great American Ballpark tonight. If you can't get just the Mets team total, I do like the full game over as well, with Kodai Senga on the mound for the Mets as he comes off the IL. This won't be an easy task for Senga, who may have an abbreviated outing anyways, but walks, hits, hit batters, and wild pitches all are a regularity for him, which would help our chances.

With consecutive 0 for 4 games, Salvador Perez is now hitting below .200 on the season. It has been a span of twelve games since Perez last had an extra base hit, which is his longest stretch on the season without doing so. In a hitter friendly National’s Park, take Perez to end a prolonged slump at the plate. He clears his combination line, and would not be surprised if it happens on a home run.

Washington has won three in a row by multiple runs and starts the third-most profitable pitcher in the majors tonight in southpaw Foster Griffin (7-2, 3.46 ERA). This most likely is not sustainable for the 30-year-old journeyman but you would be up $860 if you bet $100 on the Nats to each of his outings so far. No Royals have seen him career, and Kansas City fell to a truly hysterical 3-16 against lefty starters with Monday's four-run loss in D.C. (we cashed).

DraftKings. Foster Griffin has stayed under this hits allowed line in eight of his 12 starts this season, including four of five home outings. After a three-year stint in Japan, Griffin returned to the US this season armed with a seven-pitch mix, with all but one holding opponents to under a .240 batting average. Overall, Grffin has held opposing hitters to a .212 average - and even if he does regress towards his expected .242 xBA, this is still a high line. The Royals are only hitting .239 as a team against lefties this season. And albeit a small sample, Griffin has been much stingier on five days rest (.196 OBA), which could be a product of how starters were deployed in Japan.